Casus Belli
by Kettricken
Summary: Kate and Cassie, a sailboat, and the causes of the Civil War - a little girl-bonding, with light-hearted fun poked at the boys.


"List three major causes of the Civil War."

Cassie Lang rolled onto her back and frowned at the question. She held her notebook up  
>nearly to her nose a moment, turned it sideways, then extended her arm all the way and squinted.<p>

"You're not going to find extra notes by staring at the book funny," said Kate Bishop.

Kate, seated at the other end of the blanket, was slowly making her way through a  
>chicken salad sandwich; and also keeping a surreptitious eye on the other denizens of the Sheep<br>Meadow. An unusually dry spring had thawed the mud quickly, bringing New Yorkers out to  
>enjoy the sun; the still-cool breeze raised goosebumps on newly-bared skin, and tugged the edges<br>of flying frisbees. The frisbees would have made a great skeet shooting gallery, it occurred to  
>her, had arrows been permitted in Central Park.<p>

"Come on, Kate, help me," Cassie pleaded. "I missed way too many classes this year.  
>All that money your parents pay Hawthorne Academy has got to be good for something, right?"<p>

"Right, fine." Kate took a bite of sandwich; considered. "Tony Stark."

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

"Hey, I'm just saying, I would pay cash money to see the Stark Industries version of the  
>Monitor versus the Merrimack," Kate said. In her mind, two orange frisbees went down on one<br>hypothetical shot.

"Sla-very," Cassie wrote. "What else? …are you even paying attention?"

"Sorry. Uh… I hear States' Rights versus Federalism is a popular cause of The Civil  
>War this year."<p>

"Mm." Cassie flipped the pages. "Oh, here's a better question. 'Describe the defeat of  
>Galactus in one hundred words or less.' Yay. I can do that."<p>

"Cass, you're not going to pass your Regents exam based on sheer personal knowledge of  
>superheroics," said Kate. "For one, we don't even show up until the 1940's. That's going to put<br>a serious damper on your test performance."

"Oh yeah? No historical superheroes? Tell that to Robin Hood, 'Hawkeye.'"

"Cassie!" Kate looked around, aghast, but no-one nearby appeared to have taken note of  
>the outburst. "…who was also, I'll note, not a cause of the Civil War," she continued, quieter.<br>"What's with you today?"

"I might as well drop out. This is basic, and I don't even know it. I'm never going to  
>pass this." Cassie lay back, letting the notebook fall to cover her face.<p>

"Don't they make some kind of special exceptions for proper registered Initiative heroes?  
>Like jock 'C's', but for superjocks?"<p>

Even from underneath the notebook, Cassie's glare was visible. It was the ensuing  
>silence, however, that gave Kate a moment of pause. In any sufficiently close friendship, there<br>are moments of wordless exchange that act like punctuation marks in a sentence—saying where  
>to stop, where to go on, and what emotions to read into what has preceded. This silence was one<br>of those moments.

"All right," Kate decided. "We're leaving. To be honest, I have never liked this park  
>anyway."<p>

Cassie sat up, scattering her notes. "But the guys were going to meet up with us later—"

"If they want us, they'll find us. I've got a plan."

Cassie rushed behind, gathering up notes and blanket in an ungainly pile, as Kate legged  
>out for the Western edge of the park. The older girl's stride was all long-legged efficiency.<br>Cassie, on the other hand, between growth spurts and Pym particles, had at some point lost track  
>of what height was natural for her own body. It adjusted itself according to the needs and moods<br>of the task at hand, but never quite settled back into a state that could be called normal, and the  
>result was an extreme version of teenage gawkyness. There was a certain jury-rigged grace to<br>her motions, but her feet were never just exactly where she expected them to be. She let herself  
>hang behind Kate as they walked, knowing that when Kate got herself into leadership mode, it<br>was better to await instructions.

At the avenue, Kate hailed a taxi; they stopped at a dock on the Hudson.

"This is a fantastic breeze," Kate announced. "Let's get out of the city for a while."

Cassie's jaw dropped. "You have a *yacht*?"

"It's my cousin's."

"A yacht."

"He said I could borrow it while he's visiting the city." She nodded to the security guard,  
>flashing her ID. "And it's only a sailboat. But we should be able to take it out into some quiet<br>stretch of water and drop anchor, get a little study-privacy—do you sail?"

"No!"

Kate grinned. "Then you had better pay close attention, because you're about to learn."

#

Five miles to the south and east, four increasingly morose boys had combed nearly every  
>inch of the Sheep Meadow.<p>

"I don't understand it," said Teddy. "After all this mess about registration, we don't get  
>many chances to just hang out as friends anymore. Why would they leave?"<p>

"Could they have run into some kind of trouble?" Billy glanced around one more time.  
>One red and two green frisbees whizzed by.<p>

Eli made a face.

"All right, maybe not," said Billy. "But I could try to locate them and make sure."

Tommy quirked his eyebrow. "Face it. They ditched us. Let's go."

Eli set his forehead in his hand. "People. Modern technology. I already sent out two  
>texts while you guys were checking out the ice-cream cart lines."<p>

"Well, what if they're on the subway?" Teddy said.

"Then all hope is lost. Even as we speak, they are being eaten by alligators," Billy said.

"Patience." said Eli. "This is Kate. She will text back."

As is generally the case in such situations, it happened to take took just long enough for  
>the four of them to have passed through annoyed and waiting silence, into being distracted by the<br>surroundings, into the beginnings of a new conversation, before the cell buzzed. When it did, Eli  
>took one look at the message, and then passed the phone to Teddy, shaking his head. Billy<br>crowded over immediately to peer over Teddy's shoulder at the little dark screen.

from: Kate Bishop  
>I'm on a boat!<p>

Teddy groaned.

#

The little boat sailed up the coast of Manhattan. Kate, at the tiller, clipped orders to  
>Cassie, whose arms stretched only naturally to keep the sail in the correct trim; she was under<br>strict orders to maintain her size, in the interest of not overbalancing things. She was beginning  
>to see how every motion of the wind or crew was registered in the cant of the craft, as if the boat<br>were a live thing, responsive and playful, pulling her into a whole ecosystem of motion. Here, in  
>the universe of shifting ground, she could feel the changes in her own body mass; her feet were<br>coming under her at last. The wind was steady up the river. As they passed over toward the  
>Palisades, the towers of the George Washington Bridge shone above them. Kate read choice bits<br>to her from the American History textbook, commenting all the way.

"It's chaotic, but there are patterns in it," she said, after the chapter was finished.  
>"Different groups have different values; the North and South were so divided geographically<br>already that there was no good way for their cultures to blend into one another. At that point it  
>just turns into incidents—anything that lets one group tell the other how to live is going to the<br>tension. Powerful people will defend their interests. Just remember what the incidents were that  
>sparked them to do it."<p>

"Hang on. I know this." Cassie furrowed her brow. "Dred Scott… John Brown. The  
>Missouri Compromise!"<p>

"Good." Kate smiled. "I think you've got it. Let's stop here a minute."

Dutifully, Cassie furled the sail. "Why are we stopping?"

"Well, after all, we've just messed with the lives of some powerful people," Kate said. "I  
>think it's time for the final exam."<p>

They had come to rest in a quiet area just off the cliffs of the Palisades; the shadow of the  
>rock hid them where they rocked in the slight tidal current. Cassie yawned; now that she wasn't<br>running about dealing with booms and sails, the hairs on her arms had begun prickling from the  
>chill.<p>

Kate laughed. "Perk up; there they are now. This is going to be rich."

From the edge of the river, a crackling semicircle rose. Billy and Eli stood on it. Above  
>them, a winged Teddy Altman flapped ahead.<p>

"That's funny," he called, smiling. "This doesn't look like the Sheep Meadow."

"No room for birds here," Kate called back. "Go perch on a statue."

Teddy looked wounded. "Where did you get a boat, anyway? Can I please land so you  
>can tell me what's going on? This is tiring, I'm not a helicopter."<p>

"Kate, let him land," Cassie said.

"If he's going to land, he'd better be useful," said Kate. "Hey Teddy! What caused the  
>Civil War?"<p>

Teddy adjusted the proportion of his wings. "Are you serious?"

Cassie laughed.

"Yep. Dead serious."

"Okay. Uh… I guess because Cap and Iron Man fought. They couldn't resolve it  
>between themselves, so they just both pulled everyone after them—if the Avengers had been<br>united, I think whichever side they chose would have pulled the bulk of people to itself. That's  
>where most of the fighting came from. Can I sit down now?"<p>

Kate turned to Cassie. "Your judgement, madam? Does the gentleman's answer hold?"

Cassie put her finger to her lips. She felt bold, and a bit daring—here was Teddy, quite  
>possibly the nicest human being in New York City; and it was a trick question to boot—but the<br>answer was undoubtedly not a passing one, and it *was* test time.

"Sorry," Cassie called up. "We meant the American Civil War. You fail."

Teddy's jaw dropped. "Really? You're not going to even let me land? But we were  
>worried about you! Billy did a locator just to find out where you were!"<p>

"Call it girls' night," Kate said. "Sorry, Ted, I'll make it up to you."

As Teddy flapped away grumbling, the floating disk with Billy and Eli on it approached.

"You can board, but there's a test first," Cassie called out, feeling the beginnings of an  
>evil grin stretching her face. "You each have to tell me a cause of the Civil War."<p>

Billy raised his eyebrows. "Teddy failed that?" he said. "Uh… ok, I'd say, a legislated  
>fear of mutants, a prejudice against people who are different—hey, wait, which Civil War are we<br>talking about?"

"Too late," Kate said. "Bzzt! No boat for you."

"Now, wait just a minute," Eli said. "Don't I get a chance to answer? If he leaves, I've  
>got no way to hover here over the water."<p>

Kate glanced at Cassie, who nodded, trying to keep a straight face.

"The American Civil War, right?"

Cassie nodded.

"The other Eli, then. Eli Whitney. The cotton gin."

Kate smirked. "What, all the way back in the 1700's? Care to elaborate on that, Mr.  
>Bradley?"<p>

Eli shrugged. "New technology raised the need for raw cotton. So the South relies more  
>and more on slave labor; so as a consequence, the conditions become worse, and humanitarian<br>awareness is raised, even though meanwhile the South is dependent on the cotton trade. Raise  
>the stakes too high, and any situation is going to boil. People's freedom or people's security;<br>that problem works the same in 2006 as it did in 1865."

Kate sat perfectly still, watching his face.

"Kate, we have to let him on," Cassie said. "He's right, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's right," she said. "Billy, would you drop him off on the boat—but stay put a  
>minute, okay? I need to talk to him."<p>

As the two whispered in the stern, Cassie looked across the water at the Bronx. Kate and  
>Eli had had their problems lately; maybe it would be better if she left with Billy. Let the two of<br>them have the sailboat and work things out. She had her test to finish studying for. Suddenly it  
>dawned on her the extent to which Kate had given of her own time; the afternoon was almost<br>gone, and she had gone and made her friend spend it reading history textbooks, and on a subject  
>that Kate already knew well and was probably thoroughly bored by. And now here they were,<br>amid friends and Kate's boyfriend to boot, in the middle of their too-busy chaotic lives, way out  
>in a sailboat, with all the selfish focus on her own problems. She wanted to sink into the deck.<p>

"Cassie," Kate said. "The boat is tipping."

Gasping, Cassie pulled herself back into her normal proportion with the world; the boat,  
>which had pitched precariously down toward the stern end where Kate and Eli sat, righted itself<br>at her sudden weight.

Kate kissed Eli on the cheek. "Thanks," she said. "I'll see you later."

"Eli, you can stay," Cassie said. "Listen, I'll go. It's fine."

Eli shook his head. "Kate said if she doesn't finish the lesson, she'll have no pride in  
>herself as a teacher. I can't stand between a woman and her pride, can I? So it looks like you're<br>stuck with her." He stepped off onto the waiting disk. "Another time."

As the two boys glided away, Cassie turned to Kate. "Thank you," she said. "Seriously.  
>You've helped me so much today, I-"<p>

Kate held up a finger. "You remember your sailing terms, right?"

"Right…"

"Raise the sail a bit. Because there's one more cause of war."

Cassie's fingers scrambled at the ropes. "What's that?" she said, feeling a little worried.

"Ready to jibe?"

Cassie braced as the boat shifted, alive in the wind. Kate's eyes were keen.

"And…" she gripped the tiller—"Jibe-ho!"

Cassie ducked. Just as the boom began to swing around, a flash of silver raced across the  
>water. The boat came about, sail bristling in the wind; the horizontal wooden boom gained<br>speed, shot out past the edge of the hull, and there was a sudden smack and a yelp as an irate  
>Tommy Shepherd sank ingloriously into the Hudson River.<p>

"…sneak attack," said Kate.

Cassie burst out laughing. The incredible pace of his struggling was churning the grey-  
>green water into an unpleasant foam. Tommy's face was incandescent red. "Shouldn't we pull<br>him aboard?" she asked

"I don't think that's a very smart idea right now, do you?" said Kate. "Let his brother  
>pick him up. They should still be hovering around here somewhere. Anyway, today is already<br>perfect without any of them."

Ignoring the mayhem that was falling away behind them, Kate dipped her hand in the  
>water and raised it, feeling the new late-afternoon air. Cassie let her head fall back. Over the<br>dank odor of the Hudson water, the breeze carried salt and wild ocean, and she thought that at  
>that moment, and with such friends supporting her, she felt prepared for anything.<p>

"Now, get your hands to the ready, girl," Kate grinned. "I'm going to show you how to  
>tack into the wind."<p> 


End file.
